UNIDO, WCR, and Global Coffee Giants Join Forces to Secure Uganda’s Coffee Future
April 8 - 2026
Coffee Geography Magazine
Ugandan coffee farmers battling coffee wilt, leaf rust, and berry disease stand to gain from a new €850,000 initiative. Research shows that using wilt-resistant robusta varieties can increase smallholder profits by up to 250%, yet access to quality planting material remains a major barrier.
To address this, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and World Coffee Research (WCR) have launched a three-year project under the ACT Coffee Programme, funded by Italian Cooperation. The coalition includes the Lavazza Foundation, The J.M. Smucker Co., and JDE Peet’s, aiming to strengthen Uganda’s seed systems and advance long-term sustainability.
The initiative directly supports Uganda’s national goal of reaching 20 million bags of annual coffee production by 2030. It builds on a recently released R&D investment roadmap led by Uganda’s National Agricultural Research Organisation and National Coffee Research Institute (NaCORI), in collaboration with WCR. UNIDO’s participation follows the 2024 G7 endorsement of greater public-sector engagement in agricultural R&D.
Key activities target infrastructure and farmer adoption. Across Northern, Central, and Western Uganda, new robusta mother gardens and nurseries will produce up to 460,000 high-yielding, disease-resistant robusta trees per year, including grafting onto liberica rootstock to combat drought. More than 5,000 mother garden plants will undergo genotyping to ensure genetic purity. Local technicians will receive training from NaCORI and international centers like Colombia’s Cenicafé. Demonstration plots for robusta lines and arabica hybrids will showcase performance to stimulate farmer demand.
“Uganda’s coffee sector holds extraordinary potential,” said Andrea De Marco of UNIDO. “This initiative ensures that innovation benefits smallholder farmers who need it most.” Veronica Rossi of the Lavazza Foundation added that investing in seed systems empowers farmers with resilient planting material. WCR CEO Dr. Jennifer Long noted that the coalition “validates the power of collective action to de-risk key origins.”
The public-private partnership builds on years of WCR work in Uganda, now expanded through UNIDO’s ACT Coffee Program to transform the country’s value chain toward climate resilience and sustainability.